BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//UnionDocs - ECPv6.7.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://uniondocs.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for UnionDocs
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261117
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20250930T202405Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T173108Z
UID:10003002-1763100000-1794808799@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:A Symposium of Sorts: Radical Inquiries with the UNDO Fellows
DESCRIPTION:g
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/a-symposium-of-sorts/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gif-5.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260425T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260425T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260306T184459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T195531Z
UID:10003038-1777143600-1777147200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Muscle Beach
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]Doors 7:00p\nProgram 7:30p\nTickets $12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/851422192″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re thrilled to host the New York premiere of Muscle Beach\, a lyrical\, kinetic\, and darkly comic journey into the heart of the American weird from filmmaker Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman.  \nMoving uncannily between documentary and dramatic neo-noir\, the film centers on weightlifting influencer Ike Catcher who plays Abe\, a fictional version of himself\, a bodybuilder in search of his missing best friend.  \nOver the course of a day\, Abe finds himself pulled into a paranoid journey of tainted supplements\, supernatural conspiracies\, and naked greed\, set against the sun-bleached streets and back-alleys of Venice Beach – the last true vestige of the American carnival.  \nThe film stars breakout talent Lindsey Normington (Anora\, Hacks\, The Idol)\, two-time Mr. Vienna and ‘King of Muscle Beach’ Ike Catcher\, and 90’s cult movie icon\, Kirk Baltz (a.k.a. the guy who got his ear cut off in Reservoir Dogs). \nWe’ll share a short documentary that Hurwitz-Goodman shot at Muscle Beach a decade ago to precede the film. We hope you’ll come through to experience Muscle Beach across these two works with us\, as we’re absolutely *pumped* to welcome Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman to dig into his film with us following the screening. See you there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nMuscle Beach by Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]93 mins\, 2026[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]After soaring high and flaming out in Hollywood\, Abe\, a celebrated bodybuilder\, returns home across the 405 to Venice Beach\, where it all started. But Abe’s beloved boardwalk feels different. There’s a nasty bite to the sea breeze\, a slew of unexplained overdoses putting the gym rats on edge\, strange supernatural sightings on the pier hinting at something primordial lurking beneath the surface of sun-dappled Venice. And Jay—his old lifting partner\, his former roommate\, the one person he truly abandoned in his pursuit of fame—has disappeared\, leaving Alice\, his ex\, alone to take care of their infant son. \nThroughout an increasingly desperate afternoon\, Abe searches for his old friend\, navigating an odyssey of local characters\, and unearthing a subterranean war for the soul of this sparkling\, seedy strip of waterfront\, sitting on some of the most valuable real estate in the hemisphere.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nThe Defenders of Muscle Beach by Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]6 mins\, 2016[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Originally called the Santa Monica Beach Playground\, California’s Muscle Beach was a soft landing pad for gymnasts and circus and vaudeville performers looking for a place to practice in the 1930s. To employ people during the Great Depression\, the US government funded the construction of a platform for tumbling\, parallel bars\, and rings. Enterprising acrobats—male and female—entertained the masses during those bleak times. \nBodybuilders and fitness gurus eventually joined the fun in the sun. Joe Gold\, founder of Gold’s Gym\, launched his career at Muscle Beach\, and\, before television made him famous\, Jack LaLanne wowed beach audiences by performing 1\,000 pushups in a row. \nThe spectacle was over after a scandal erupted in 1958. Santa Monica dismantled the beachside gym and bodybuilders moved a few kilometers south to what became Muscle Beach Venice. It’s the beach that vaulted a young Austrian bodybuilder\, Arnold Schwarzenegger\, into the celebrity stratosphere. And today\, it’s where the Defenders of Muscle Beach perform feats of strength\, dwarfed only by the power of the waves lapping their oceanside gym.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nProgram Duration: 99 mins \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161769″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman is a Detroit-born\, Los Angeles-based filmmaker. His films\, music videos\, and documentaries tease out the hidden strands\, characters\, and ideologies coursing through tech\, economics\, politics\, emergent AI\, and obscure subcultures. His eclectic\, intimate work has been featured at the Athens Biennale\, New York Times OpDocs\, BBC\, PAF\, NPCC Fest\, San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum\, PBS\, Atlas Obscura\, NBC Left Field\, CPH:DOX\, and in museums and festivals globally. His films have won an Edes Award for Emerging Artists and an Emmy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162259″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Joshua Citarella is an artist and writer. He is the founder of Do Not Research. He is the host of Doomscroll\, a talk show that explores online culture and politics in the 21st century.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1774635331296-a77a9592-ef64-10″ include=”147747\,147746\,147745″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/2026-04-25-muscle-beach/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Muscle-Beach-Giphy.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260426T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260426T190000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260331T201625Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T082400Z
UID:10003047-1777230000-1777230000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:One Thousand and One Journeys
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]Doors 7:00p\nProgram 7:30p\nTickets $12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/941430034?share=copy” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re delighted to partner with ArteEast to co-present ONE THOUSAND AND ONE JOURNEYS. The program traces the history and legacy of Arab-American migration across the United States. Borrowing its title from Abe Kasbo’s sweeping documentary\, this program follows the layered journey of Levantine migration in America that began in the late 19th early 20th centuries and continues today. \nFrom establishing the enclave of Little Syria\, to peddling goods to remote areas\, to settling in various states across the country\, the films show us how early Arab immigrants shaped the landscape of now thriving communities in major cities. Through documentaries from a variety of perspectives and locales\, this program explores the stories\, contributions\, and ongoing realities of Arab-Americans\, painting a rich portrait of the diversity of Arab identity and how it continues to shape contemporary cultural life in America. \nIn Beirut on the Bayou (2022)\, Lebanese author\, Raif Shwayri\, travels to Louisiana to trace the life of his grandfather who once worked as a peddler serving the Cajuns on Bayou Lafourche. Alfred “Sweet Papa” Nicola spent nearly two decades\, in the early 20th century\, selling his wares to the French-speaking melting pot that was developing on the edge of civilization. His years of traveling to these isolated villages would eventually\, and surprisingly\, lead to substantial aid for tens of thousands of disabled and impoverished children in Lebanon. This film celebrates the rarely told story of early Arab-American immigrants and includes never-before-seen 16mm footage of South Louisiana and Beirut from the 1950s\, as well as rare photos of early Cajun life. It also features an original Arabic score and a cover of a Cajun classic using Arabic instruments. \nA Thousand and One Journeys: The Arab Americans (2015)\, from which this program borrows its title\, is a documentary offering a broad historical lens on Arab migration to the U.S. It follows the formation of early communities such as Little Syria in lower Manhattan\, the rise of peddling routes that took immigrants deep into the American South and Midwest\, and the ways Arab Americans built lives\, businesses\, and cultural networks across the country. The film grounds the program in a foundational national history while highlighting New York City as one of the earliest and most significant sites of Arab-American settlement. \nThe films will be followed by a talk on the history of Little Syria in lower Manhattan with Linda Jacobs scholar & author of Strangers in the West: The Syrian Colony of New York City\, 1880-1900.  \nThis program is collaboration with curator Nanor Vosgueritchian and is part of ArteEast’s Unpacking the ArteArchive series\, which highlights curated selections from the ArteArchive\, ArteEast’s film and video collection in dialogue with contemporary voices. The full program\, including additional films and a recorded discussion with filmmaker Abe Kanso\, will be presented online on artearchive.org from April 23- May 3. \nThis program is supported\, in part\, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nBeirut on the Bayou by Brent Joseph\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]2022\, 28 mins.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nA Thousand and One Journeys: The Arab Americans by Abe Kasbo\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]2015\, 20 min excerpt[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nProgram Duration: 48 mins \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162345″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Linda K. Jacobs is a New York-based scholar and author. She holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology/Anthropology and spent many years working on archaeological excavations and economic development projects in the Middle East. Dr. Jacobs is committed to promoting Middle Eastern culture and knowledge in the United States\, founding KalimahPress in 2011 and sitting on the board of several Middle Eastern organizations. All four of her grandparents were members of the New York Syrian Colony. She is the author of two books on the nineteenth-century Syrian diaspora in the United States.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162346″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brent Joseph is a filmmaker from New Orleans who got his start as an assistant in the cutting rooms of David Fincher\, Seth Rogen\, and David Simon. He went on to edit several feature films and documentaries including “La Gloria” (starring David Morse) and “Shell Shocked” (PBS). His directing work — from Beirut on the Bayou\, which traces a little-known chapter of early Arab-American life in Cajun Louisiana\, to his Katrina portraits Holdout and A Loud Color — is tied together by stark visuals\, original music\, and a persistent curiosity about how people find meaning when the familiar fades away.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162347″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Abe Kasbo is a Syrian-American entrepreneur\, author\, and filmmaker best known as the Founder and CEO of Verasoni Worldwide\, an integrated marketing communications advisory and agency based in Fairfield\, New Jersey. Born in Aleppo\, Syria\, Kasbo immigrated to the United States in 1980 at age 10. After growing up in Paterson\, NJ\, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations and a Master’s in Public Administration from Seton Hall University\, where he was later inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1775569989288-6b9d1f6f-136e-5″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/one-thousand-and-one-journeys-2026-04-26/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ArteEast-One-Thousand-and-One-Journeys-FEATURED-IMG.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260430T193000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260401T175345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T121856Z
UID:10003055-1777577400-1777577400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:This Girl's Nervy:  Films by Jennifer Reeves
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]Doors 7:30p\nProgram 8:00p\nTickets $12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_video][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nWe’re thrilled to celebrate the release of a long-awaited Blu-ray collection and to spend the evening immersed in the fiercely tactile\, deeply personal cinema of Jennifer Reeves! \nReleased in December 2025\, When it was Blue: Jennifer Reeves Selected Works 1992–2022 arrives as a vital gathering of Reeves’ singular body of work\, and we’re honored to mark the occasion with a program of shorts spanning her practice\, moving across decades\, formats\, and states of transformation. For this special presentation\, we’ll be screening the shorts in a hybrid format\, presenting the shorts half on 16mm and half digitally\, creating a rare opportunity to experience Reeves’ work across the very material conditions that shape it. \nWorking primarily in 16mm\, Reeves approaches filmmaking as a materially intensive\, almost alchemical process\, where the image is not just captured but physically altered\, distressed\, and reimagined. Across these films\, Reeves’ work pulses with emotional immediacy\, tracing interior landscapes shaped by memory\, perception\, and the body. Themes of mental health\, feminism\, and ecological precarity emerge not as fixed subjects\, but as shifting conditions that are felt\, embodied\, and in flux. \nWe’re so excited to share this program with first-time viewers and longtime admirers alike. Join us for this special screening and for a conversation with Jennifer following the program. \nCome through! \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nThe girl’s nervy\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 5 min\, 1995[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nWe are going home\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 10 min\, 1998[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nFear of Blushing\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 5.5 min\, 2001[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nLandfill 16\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 9 min\, 2011[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nStrawberries in the Summertime\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm-HD\, 16 min\, 2013[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nColor Neutral\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 3 minutes\, 2014[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nPigment-Dispersion Syndrome\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm-2K\, 6 minutes\, 2022[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nGirls Daydream about Hollywood\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 4 min\, 1992[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nConfiguration 20\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]16mm\, 11.5 minutes\, 1994[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nProgram Duration: 70 mins \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162420″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brooklyn film artist Jennifer Reeves (b. 1971\, Sri Lanka) has made 25+ filmworks to date\, from experimental shorts and features to multiple projection performances scored by live music. Reeves’ visceral 16mm film works immerse viewers in intricate\, unfamiliar cinematic territory. They investigate themes of mental health and recovery\, feminism and sexuality\, and the beauty and decay of the natural world. A Blu-ray collection of 10 of her films will be released by Re:Voir Video late in 2025: “When it was Blue: Jennifer Reeves Selected Works 1992 – 2022”. The collection will be available for streaming in 2026. \nReeves started her life as a film artist in 1990 at Bard College under the tutelage of Peggy Ahwesh\, Peter Hutton and Adolfas Mekas. Since 1990 Reeves has shot\, written\, edited\, created optical effects\, and designed the soundtracks of her film works: a veritable one-person production unit. Her singular cinematic works push the boundaries of film with optical printing anddirect-on-film techniques that involve painting on\, sewing\, and burying 16mm film. \nReeves premiered her most recent feature-length work\, a dual-projection film performance of THE GLORIA OF YOUR IMAGINATION\, at Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive in October 2024. She adapted THE GLORIA OF YOUR IMAGINATION into a single-channel Experimental Documentary to debut at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival in 2025. With support from residencies at Atelier 105 in Paris and Yaddo in New York\, Reeves wrote\, directed\, and edited the project. Reeves has also presented “GLORIA” at Light Matter Film Festival\, Arkipel International Documentary and Experimental Film\, New Horizons Film Festival in Polandand Vassar College. In November\, THE GLORIA OF YOUR IMAGINATION will screen at Kasseler Dokfest in Germany\, and it will be featured at an international conference with Jennifer as a presenter “Misogyny Then and Now: Implications for Psychoanalytic Perspectives” co-sponsored by the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and the Committee of Women and Psychoanalysis of the International Psychoanalytic Association. This September\, Reeves debuted her latest dual-projection work\, LIFE IN DECAY\, in a collaborative performance with the Iranian Sound Artist Farzané at Conflux Festival 2025. \nReeves’ many film awards include a FIPRESCI prize at the Berlinale\, The Barbara Hammer Feminist Filmmaker Award at Ann Arbor Film Festival\, Best New York Narrative Feature at Tribeca Film Festival\, Outstanding Artistic Achievement at Outfest\, and a nomination for the Someone to Watch Award at The Independent Spirit Awards. Comprehensive retrospectives of Reeves’ work have been hosted by the New Horizons Film Festival in Wroclaw\, Poland\, the San Francisco Cinematheque\, Berlin’s Kino Arsenal\, and Anthology Film Archives in New York City.  Reeves’ work has screened broadly\, from the Rotterdam\, New York\, Sundance and Toronto International Film Festivals to the Museum of Modern Art\, the National Gallery in D.C.\, the CCCB in Barcelona and at art cinemas and universities worldwide. Reeves has collaborated with celebrated composers including Farzané\, Zeena Parkins\, Marc Ribot\, Elliott Sharp and Skúli Sverrisson. Her multiple-projection films with live music have been performed from the Sydney Opera House\, Berlin International Film Festival\, to RedCat in Los Angeles and the Wexner Center in Ohio. \nReeves has two long-form film projects underway. She is editing CELIA\, SHE SAID\, an experimental feature focused on Cuban revolutionary Celia Sanchez and her connections to other international revolutionary women. The project was supported by a Princess Grace Awards Special Project grant. FLYING ISLANDS OF THE NIGHT is a medium-length 16mm dual-projection work about the islands of the world\, lively creatures from sea and sky\, and the wilderness inside. The project was inspired by a play with the same title\, written by the poet James Whitcomb Riley\, Reeves’ great\, great uncle. \nReeves has taught film and animation courses at The Cooper Union School of Art since 2005. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1776171245335-48287d31-420e-4″ include=”147747\,147746\,147745″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/this-girls-nervy-films-by-jennifer-reeves-2026-04-30/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/JennReevesgif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T193000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260401T185424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T184453Z
UID:10003046-1777663800-1777663800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Portals In Between
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]Doors 7:30p\nProgram 8:00p\nTickets $12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/851422192″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re delighted to join with Airtime and Speciwomen to present PORTALS IN BETWEEN\, a pair of short films that dance with hybridity to experiment with time\, memory and the concept of home. \nWe invite Aslı Baykal’s Darkroom (2023) and Kim Torres’ Solo la Luna Comprenderá (2023) into a lyrical conversation that reimagines the transportive potentials of our everyday surroundings: nature\, water\, corn fields\, windows\, children’s games\, red lights\, stars and the moon. \nThese works invite the audience to the makers’ open archives that unfold alongside their making\, bringing viewers into process as it develops. \nAs part of this responsive approach\, we are inviting a third film into the program\, shifting from a singularly selected viewing experience toward a community gathering where the boundaries between maker and audience are more porous\, and the night is positioned more as an evolving encounter. \nIn the collective spirit in which both films were made\, the team behind this night decided to put forth an open call to find an additional short film that may continue and expand their dialogue. Please find the prompt below and submit a film to join the lineup if you are inspired and feel like your work is a part of this conversation. \nWe invite you to join us for this expansive program that offers how imagination builds resilience and to join the conversation that these films begin. \nSpecial thanks to program partners for tonight. Airtime\, and Speciwomen. This program is organized in conjunction with the Magnet Residency\, a funded artist-in-residence program hosted by Speciwomen welcoming artists from outside of New York to spend time and make work in the city.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text css=””] \nOpen Call Prompt \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text css=””]We invite you to submit a film to be screened for this evening! \nWe’re requesting submissions for a hybrid film that offers a portrait of home that constructs an alternate reality to reimagine time and memory. \nPlease fill the form here to share your work for consideration: SUBMIT FILM \nMax runtime 30 min. | Deadline April: 18th | Selected films will receive a $50 honorarium for their inclusion in the program.\n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nSolo la Luna comprenderá / The Moon Will Contain Us by Kim Torres\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]18 min\, 2023\, Costa Rica\, U.S\, 16mm[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]In the small coastal town of Manzanillo\, Costa Rica\, filmmaker Kim Torres enlists the local teens and adolescents to share their stories\, lies\, and fantasies on the cusp of a cataclysmic event. Playing amid ruins and wreckages\, and voicing their boredom at the lack of change\, Manzanillo’s children engage in a collective fabulation\, finding strategies for building a new world from the old. \n— NYFF Programming team.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nDarkroom by Aslı Baykal\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””] 14 min\, 2023\, Turkey\, U.S\, 16mm[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]At the modern-day crossroads of Turkey and Syria\, the ancient city of Istasyon is taken over by children with cameras. Through their gaze\, they transform cinder block villages into portals and roam freely across abandoned train tracks to Sirkhane Darkroom\, an oasis of red light and pomegranate trees\, where their images are born. Darkroom is an experimental and celebratory portrait of Istasyon’s youth and their capacity to forge an alternate reality within a conflict zone. Embedded in 16mm film\, a co-creation between the film crew and these photography students is a reverence for the mysterious power and intimacy of analog image-making.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nProgram Duration: 74 mins \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162321″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kim Torres is a Costa Rican filmmaker. Through light\, gesture\, and atmosphere\, her work investigates questions of transformation and becoming. Working across fiction and non-fiction\, her films shift in form\, drawing poetry from the natural world while forming deep connections with diverse communities and landscapes. Her films have screened at Festival de Cannes\, Locarno Film Festival\, New York Film Festival\, San Sebastian International Film Festival\, New Directors/New Films at MoMA and Lincoln Center\, and the Eye Filmmuseum. She was a Guest Artist at CalArts University (2022)\, a Berlinale Talents participant (2023)\, and an alumna of the Locarno Filmmakers Academy (2024).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162329″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Aslı Baykal is a Turkish filmmaker and visual artist based in New York\, working between documentary and experimental forms\, often blending personal narratives with collective memory. She holds a BFA in Film & TV from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her short film Darkroom (2023)\, co-created with children from the Sirkhane Darkroom photography workshop along the Turkish-Syrian border\, premiered at MoMA Doc Fortnight and screened internationally at festivals including Visions du Réel (Doc Alliance nominee for Best Short Documentary)\, Camden IFF\, Ji.hlava\, and Dokufest. She has collaborated with musical artists such as Sampha\, Nick Hakim\, Nourished by Time\, and Karen O. Her work has been featured in MIT Press\, Taschen\, and Harvard Design Magazine. In 2018\, she founded the Airtime Screening Series\, later expanding into Airtime Online\, a global hybrid platform focusing on curated screenings and artist collaborations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1774984485090-35c4d0de-5a15-6″ include=”147747\,147746\,147745″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]About Speciwomen & Magnet Residency\nSpeciwomen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization committed to giving space to women and LGBTQIA+ artists for retreat\, research\, and making.  \nMagnet is a funded artist-in-residence program hosted by Speciwomen welcoming artists from outside of New York to spend time and make work in the city. Our commitment is to provide a supportive environment where artists can delve into their work with unencumbered time\, developing their practice and fostering relationships.  \nAbout Airtime\nAIRTIME is an artist-run film initiative dedicated to reimagining how we experience the moving image. Founded in 2018 as a pop-up screening series and expanded in 2023 with an experimental online global platform\, it presents artists whose work pushes form and opens new ways of seeing and feeling. The initiative works closely with artists\, valuing collaboration and dialogue throughout the process.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/2026-05-01-portals-in-between/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gif-2.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260507T193000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T051045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T184412Z
UID:10003056-1778182200-1778182200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:New Kingston
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=””]Doors 7:00p\nProgram 7:30p\nTickets $12[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/851422192″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nWe’re thrilled to present a special screening of New Kingston\, the filmmaking debut of artist Kevin Bewersdorf\, followed by a conversation between Bewersdorf and filmmaker James N. Kienitz Wilkins. As UNDO continues to exist in a state of construction — building\, rebuilding\, and reimagining our space — we’re especially excited to share a film that dwells so thoughtfully within the rhythms and meaning of that process. We’re grateful to James for introducing us to this quietly resonant work. \nThe film premiered at Rockaway Film Festival\, where it was described as: \n“Handmade with appreciation for little details\, artist and polymath Kevin Bewersdorf’s filmmaking debut patiently documents the rhythms of his work building and repairing houses in upstate New York. Filmed entirely on his iPhone with music he composed himself\, New Kingston moves through the seasons with deep affection for the people in his community in a refreshingly understated portrait of craftsmanship and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.”\n— Rockaway Film Festival \nJames N. Kienitz Wilkins first encountered New Kingston at Rockaway. At his suggestion\, we’re delighted to share the following reflection he wrote about the film: \n“I caught Kevin Bewersdorf’s New Kingston at last year’s Rockaway Film Festival\, where it screened before my own feature\, which was then still under construction. While our movies couldn’t be more different in execution and worldly expectation\, it was instantly apparent why they’d been paired back-to-back: Aside from their interest in artists turned laborers\, they share a feeling of having been made despite themselves\, simultaneously ‘virtual’ (in a few senses of the word\, including almost or nearly but not completely\, and invoking its root\, virtus\, in their nearly religious approach to work) yet defined by physical limits. New Kingston\, in particular\, offers a vision (a documentary? an essay? an ode?) of the artist pausing during his day job\, not to imagine the movie he could be making under more ideal conditions\, but rather to continue making the movie already in the making\, which is to say life.”\n— James N. Kienitz Wilkins \nFilmed entirely on an iPhone and scored with Bewersdorf’s own music\, New Kingston unfolds across seasons in upstate New York\, tracing the quiet rhythms of building\, repairing\, and living. \nCome through![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text css=””] \n\nNew Kingston by Kevin Bewersdorf\n\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]2025\, US\, 84 min.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162515″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kevin “Kev” Bewersdorf is an artist living in New Kingston\, NY.  Presently focused on home repair and cooperative farming\, his past endeavors include the early internet websites Maximum Sorrow and Spirit Surfers.  He has acted in and contributed the musical score to films of the “mumblecore” movement including Hannah Takes The Stairs and Computer Chess.  His 2020 album Faded Glory is available on all music streaming services.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162516″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]James N. Kienitz Wilkins is a filmmaker and writer based in NYC. He is a long-time contributor to UnionDocs programs\, notably as an UNDO Fellow from 2019-20. His newest feature\, The Misconceived (2026)\, has its U.S premiere as the opening night selection of the Museum of Moving Images’ First Look festival on April 23. It opens for a theatrical run (on 35mm) at Anthology Film Archives this May.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1775746447873-013509db-9394-2″ include=”147747\,147746\,147745″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/new-kingston-2026-05-07/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/NEW_KINGSTON_hand.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260605T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260605T190000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T211539Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T185423Z
UID:10003049-1780686000-1780686000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Emergent City
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re delighted to present an evening of cinema and conversation with Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg’s thrilling documentary Emergent City! \n“Emergent City is not a polemic\, nor does it fall into the “all sides” trap of equivocation. It’s curious and patient\, taking the time to understand its subject. It leaves enough wiggle room for the audience to make up its own mind\, a kind of nonfiction Rorschach test to help us illuminate how we really think about everything from housing costs to climate change.” \n— Alan Zilberman\, Washington City Paper \nVerité thriller Emergent City chronicles a critical period of transformation for the Sunset Park neighborhood in waterfront Brooklyn. Over the course of several years the film presents the intersections of multiple stakeholders and divergent interest groups as the plot known as Industry City changes owners and faces redevelopment and rezoning. Local council\, community members\, small business owners and large developers go head to head in this observational civic epic. Emergent City sheds light on power and process\, illuminating systems and giving viewers a front row seat to the public and private spaces where the city is shaped. The film explores the profound intersections of gentrification\, climate crisis and real estate development\, and asks how change might emerge from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many outcomes are constrained by money\, politics and business as usual. \nThe screening will be preceded by a presentation by directors Jay and Kelly\, joined remotely by producer Brenda Àvila-Hanna\, discussing the inception of the film\, where the idea came from\, initial encounters with the film’s subject and the original vision at the outset of the project. \nNote: We’re overjoyed that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals course is led by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg! Emergent City will serve as a case-study for DOC FUNDAMENTALS\, our annual six session professional development series\, across all the sessions including RESEARCH & FINANCING\, VISUAL LANGUAGE\, ACCESS & FIELD WORK\, POST PRODUCTION and RELEASING your documentary. Each session features a range of exciting\, advanced and award-winning professionals from the field and many from this film who represent all aspects of producing a documentary feature. It is perfect as a primer or a way to refocus and rethink your project in today’s changing landscape! You can attend all sessions with a SERIES PASS or just tackle the hurdles where you need help with a single session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162393″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brenda Àvila-Hanna is a filmmaker and educator born and raised in Mexico City and currently based in Central California. Her films mostly focus on transnational stories\, spaces and identities. Brenda is a recent fellow for the Sundance Documentary Producing Lab\, Points North\, BAVC’s National MediaMaker\, NALIP and DocsMX. Brenda was in the inaugural cohort of DOC NYC’s “Documentary Industry New Leaders” and was a 2021 Rockwood/Just Films Fellow. She is a producer of the ITVS supported documentary EMERGENT CITY  (Dir. Kelly Anderson & Jay \nSterrenberg)\, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS. Brenda is also a producer of the Sundance Institute supported HOW TO CLEAN A HOUSE IN TEN EASY STEPS (Dir. Carolina Gonzalez)\, currently in festivals. She is also a co-producer of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (Dir. David Alvarado)\, winner of the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and Festival Favorite Award at Sundance. Brenda received an M.A. in Social Documentation from UCSC\, where she teaches various storytelling courses. She is a Board Member of the Watsonville Film Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-how-it-started-2026-06-05/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/6gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T123000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T213026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T184600Z
UID:10003050-1780743600-1780749000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals:  Researching\, Development & Financing
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re excited that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals series centers on the kinetic and timely Emergent City by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg—a film whose impact comes from the filmmakers evident patience\, commitment to the subject and time spent following the development of the story. In this session on research\, development and financing\, directors Jay and Kelly are joined by filmmaker and executive producer Stephen Maing\, to explore how projects like this are brought to life from the earliest stages: building a compelling concept and pitch\, securing partners\, and navigating the complex ecosystem of funding independent documentaries. \nThis session is all about developing and financing your next documentary. It will address the eternal question: how to finance your doc? What are the pros and cons of different fundraising options and how does someone get started on this process? Pitching\, how to pitch and successfully apply for grants\, and routes to markets will be discussed in this can’t-miss session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162724″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Stephen Maing is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker\, cinematographer and editor based in New York City. His most recent film UNION captures the historic efforts by workers to unionize the first Amazon fulfillment center. Co-directed with Brett Story\, it won a Special Jury Award for The Art of Change at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Maing’s feature documentary CRIME + PUNISHMENT which he directed\, filmed and edited is an immersive cinéma vérité account of a group of minority whistleblower NYPD officers. It won a 2018 Sundance Special Jury Award\, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. His previous films\, HIGH TECH\, LOW LIFE\, directed\, filmed and edited over five years\, and THE SURRENDER\, have screened internationally and were released on POV and Field of Vision\, respectively. His film DIRTY GOLD\, featured in Netflix’s Dirty Money series\, intimately observers US involvement in the illicit mining and trading of gold and was filmed on location in Peru’s Amazon rain forest & Miami\, Florida. Maing’s films seek to expand the aesthetic form and limits of longitudinal nonfiction filmmaking. They are highly observational visual investigations of societal phenomenon\, complex power structures and the fascinating individuals who challenge them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-researching-development-financing2026-06-06/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/5gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T153000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T214552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T170506Z
UID:10003051-1780754400-1780759800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals:  Observation\, Interviews and Cinematography
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re excited that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals series centers on the kinetic and timely Emergent City by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg—a film that combines skillful interviewing with the urgency and incisiveness of vérité storytelling\, both immersing the audience in the unfolding events while guiding them through each with revealing insights from the participants. In this session\, co-directors Kelly and Jay will be joined by cinematographer Sean Hanley as they discuss building their visual storytelling style\, crafting original imagery\, and interview techniques to bring the film’s narrative complexities to life. \nThis session will be all about shooting your next documentary. Learn about the practicalities of shooting unpredictable events and preparing a camera that’s alive to the moment. What kinds of aesthetic considerations are taken into account? What kind of equipment do you need? What kinds of conversations go on between a cinematographer and a director before and during an observational film shoot? How does the framing of an interview\, both editorially and cinematographically\, impact the narrative? Join us to enrich your understanding of observational filmmaking. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162392″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sean Hanley is a documentary cinematographer versed in longitudinal vérité projects but with a knack for creative non-fiction and experimental techniques. His work has therefore screened across a spectrum of festivals\, from Sundance to MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight. Recent credits include Judd Ehrlich’s Jane Eliott Against the World (2026\, Sundance)\, Debra Granik’s series CONBODY vs. Everybody (2024\, Sundance)\, and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg and Kelly Anderson’s Emergent City (2024\, Tribeca). He has held a long and productive collaboration with experimental documentarian Lynne Sachs starting with Your Day is My Night (2013\, MoMA Documentary Fortnight)\, Tip of My Tongue (2015\, Closing Night of MoMA Documentary Fortnight)\, and Contractions (2024\, NYTimes OpDocs). He is a member of the Documentary Cinematographer’s Alliance and the Meerkat Media Collective.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-observation-interviews-and-cinematography-2026-06-06/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/4gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T173000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T215556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T181251Z
UID:10003052-1780761600-1780767000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals:  Access & Working in the Field
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re excited that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals series centers on the kinetic and timely Emergent City by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg—a film that exemplifies the social and ethical principles of observational documentary\, and is remarkable for its insight into often opaque political spaces. In this session\, Kelly and Jay are joined by field producer Betty Yu and cinematographer Alex Mallis\, to discuss the ins and outs of managing access to the spaces and participants\, the film documents\, and the complexities of working in the field. \nA crucial\, but often overlooked piece in the documentary puzzle is the management of participants and spaces the filmmakers set out to document. Emergent City‘s chronicling of a complicated political process\, involving multiple groups (made up of diverse individuals) with divergent interests and differences of opinions presents a marvel of access management and field production. Learn about how the team gained and maintained working relationships with each participant and stakeholder. How do you get permission to film in sensitive environments? What needs to be taken into account during the shoot\, in order to keep getting allowed back? How does a documentary team communicate its intentions to different groups with different objectives? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162391″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Betty Yu is an award-winning filmmaker\, socially engaged multimedia artist\, photographer and activist born and raised in NYC. Yu integrates documentary film\, photography\, installation\, new media platforms\, and community-infused approaches into her practice. Betty’s films and multimedia work has focused on labor\, immigration\, gentrification\, abolition\, racism\, militarism\, transgender equality among other issues. She is a co-founder of Chinatown Art Brigade\, a cultural collective using art to advance anti-displacement fights. Ms. Yu’s documentary “Resilience” about her garment worker mother fighting sweatshop conditions screened at film festivals including the Margaret Mead Film Festival. \nHer work has been exhibited and screened at the Brooklyn Museum\, Queens Museum\, NY Historical Society\, Museum of the City of NY\,  Artists Space/ISP Whitney Museum\, The Highline\, Tenement Museum\,\, 2019 BRIC Biennial\, Apexart\, Pace University Art Gallery\, Transmitter Gallery\, 601 Artspace\, Five Myles\, Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center\, Bullet Space\, Carriage Trade\, Old Stone House and MAXXI in Rome. “The Garment Worker”\, an interactive installation\, was featured at Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive Showcase. Her multimedia installation\, “Resistance in Progress”\, highlighting housing activism in Flushing was featured at the Queens Museum. Betty had her first solo exhibition\, “(Dis)Placed in Sunset Park” at Open Source Gallery. Ms. Yu won the Aronson Social Justice Award for her film “Three Tours” about U.S. veterans returning home from war in Iraq\, and their journey to overcome PTSD. Her photography and art college book\, Family Amnesia: Chinese American Resilience was released in Summer 2025. \nHer work has received coverage in outlets including New York Times\, CNN\, HBO VICE News Tonight\, i-D Vice Media\, Art Forum\, ARTNews\, Sinovision\, Hyperallergic\, E-Flux\, F-Stop Magazine\, The Eye of Photography Magazine\, La Belle Revue Art Journal & Studio International.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162390″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Alex Mallis is a Cuban-American\, Jewish filmmaker raised in New Hampshire now living in Brooklyn\, NY. His short films have been distributed by PBS\, Criterion\, The New Yorker\, and The Atlantic. His debut feature The Travel Companion premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and is being distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories. His short documentary Shut Up And Paint (2022) was awarded Grand Jury Prize at IFF Boston and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival\, shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards\, and broadcast nationally on POV.  Alex received an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College (CUNY) and is an active member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and the Meerkat Media Collective.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-access-working-in-the-field-2026-06-06/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T153000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T220039Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T170529Z
UID:10003053-1780840800-1780846200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Editing\, Music & Sound
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re excited that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals series centers on the kinetic and timely Emergent City by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg—a film that skilfully builds tension\, energy and forward momentum with the aid of precise editing and a detailed sound design. In this session\, participants will be guided through the post production process with directors and hosts Kelly and Jay\, joined by sound designer & composer Gisela Fullà-Silvestre and consulting editor Zara Serabian-Arthur.  \nThis session is about navigating the post-production process on your next documentary. How does a story emerge from a pile of footage and sound? How can the power of music and sound be harnessed to propel the story forward and highlight the themes? How can documentary directors work effectively with editors\, sound designers\, and other essential post-production talent? Can you really “fix it in post”? What is an online edit and can you do it yourself? How can music underscore emotion or rhythm? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \n\nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \n\nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162389″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gisela Fullà-Silvestre is a Barcelona-born\, New York–based composer\, sound designer\, re-recording mixer\, and vocalist whose work spans award-winning film\, television\, and music. Her projects include Academy Award–nominated and major festival premieres (Sundance\, Tribeca\, Berlinale\, SXSW)\, as well as the Emmy Award–winning ¡Atención! Murdered Next Door\, with releases on PBS and Netflix. She also performs as NOIA\, an experimental pop project acclaimed by Pitchfork and The New York Times\, and is a 2022 NYFA Women’s Fund Fellow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162388″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Zara Serabian-Arthur is a documentary editor and producer\, and a co-founder of Meerkat Media\, an award-winning production company cooperative based in Brooklyn\, NY. Her work has been featured on Hulu\, PBS\, National Geographic\, The New York Times\, and The New Yorker\, premiered at Sundance\, and screened theatrically. Recent credits include Stolen Youth (Hulu\, series editor)\, Art21: Between Worlds (PBS\, editor)\, and Justice (Sundance\, editor). As an editor\, Zara is committed to telling complex stories with empathy and care\, exploring power\, resilience\, and the possibility of transformation. Across both her filmmaking and her organizing within cooperative and solidarity economy movements\, she works to shift dominant narratives toward mutualism\, economic democracy\, and more just futures.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-editing-music-sound-2026-06-07/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2gif-1.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T173000
DTSTAMP:20260421T043958
CREATED:20260402T221520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T181831Z
UID:10003054-1780848000-1780853400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals:  Festival Strategy\, Distribution & Impact
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]We’re excited that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals series centers on the kinetic and timely Emergent City by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg—a film that follows a local story but whose message is far-reaching and broadly relatable. In this session\, Kelly and Jay are joined by publicist and sales agent Sylvia Savadijan and Robert Salyer\, Director of Outreach and Impact at American Documentary\, Inc. | POV\, who will share insights into educational distribution and audience strategy—exploring how documentaries find their viewers\, build impact\, and extend their life beyond the festival circuit. \nThis session will be all about releasing and publicising your next documentary. How can you find and reach audiences for your film?  How do you know if your film is best suited for theatrical\, broadcast\, or both? How do digital platforms affect “traditional” models of distribution and release? How can you best utilize your film festival campaign? Another can’t-miss session![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \n\nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \n\nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162387″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sylvia Savadjian is a New York based film publicist. Work includes festival PR for Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look\, DOC NYC\, Full Frame\, staff roles at Kino Lorber\, Maysles Documentary Center and HBO in publicity\, marketing\, acquisitions and programming.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162496″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Robert Salyer is Director of Outreach and Impact at American Documentary\, Inc.\, leading national outreach campaigns and partnership development for award-winning films and impact initiatives. He spearheads the Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue project\, a long-running effort that empowers PBS stations and local partners to foster meaningful civic dialogue around urgent social issues. To date\, he has supported the impact campaigns of more than 70 POV films\, encompassing a wide range of issues and engaging audiences across the country. \nWith more than 25 years of experience in documentary film and community media\, Robert previously spent much of his career at Appalshop\, Inc.\, where he directed and produced films focused on Appalachian culture. His credits include work with CNBC\, HBO\, Greenpeace\, and Lost Nation Pictures\, among others.  His films have screened widely in the U.S. and internationally\, including at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight and Festival Film Dokumenter in Yogyakarta\, Indonesia. \nRobert has been deeply involved in media education and youth training. He taught documentary filmmaking at Kentucky State University\, served as a longtime instructor with the Appalachian Media Institute\, and facilitated a U.S. State Department–funded media exchange with Indonesian filmmakers. He has worked as a community organizer with the Virginia Organizing Project and mentored emerging filmmakers through NYU Tisch’s summer immersion program.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-festival-strategy-distribution-impact-2026-06-07/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Screenings & Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR